Kay McFadden / Times staff columnist
'L Word' is flawed, but fills a niche

	CAROLE SEGAL / AP Mia Kirshner, left, stars as Jenny and Karina Lombard is Marina in Showtime's "The L Word," premiering at 10 p.m. Sunday.
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This week, the focus turns to two previously neglected groups: lesbians and robot nostalgists.

On Sunday at 10 p.m., premium cable channel Showtime launches the new drama series "The L Word." Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., The WB retrofits "Astro Boy."

The pair constitutes a splendid example of television's infinite diversity, though one that defeats any attempt at a combined review.

So let's begin with "The L Word," which was shown to critics at last July's press tour — not this one — in an effort to get buzz going.

Viewers familiar with Showtime's gay male soap opera "Queer as Folk" will recognize the socioeconomic underpinnings of characters in "The L Word." They're upscale and artsy, yet safely bourgeois; Subaru from head to toe ring. They're also lipstick-ready and model-attractive, giving rise to some suspicion that what we're seeing is a sort of "Queer Toys for Straight Boys."

But those in the know say this accurately reflects the West Hollywood setting. And since there's ample "Sex and the City"-style talking and lesbian processing to complement the hot sex scenes, "The L Word" likely isn't aimed at Jimmy Kimmel fans.

Sunday's 90-minute pilot begins with multiple setups. High-powered museum director Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and mellower partner Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman) decide that after seven years together, it's time to have a baby, despite the red flags raised in their relationship counseling sessions.

Meanwhile, new neighbors Tim (Eric Mabius) and Jenny (Mia Kirshner) have moved next door. He's a swim coach and she's an earnest lit-chick, à la the young Joyce Maynard.

From the moment Jenny can't keep her eyes off Bette and Tina having a naked romp in their pool, it's clear the story's second major story line will be a coming-out party. The eventual catalyst is Marina (Karina Lombard), who owns the cafe where everyone congregates.

"The L Word" is adept at plunging us into a lesbian milieu without being squeamish or overly explanatory. Informative tidbits — nipple confidence, the urge to merge — are dropped in without too much awkward exposition.

However, plotting and scripting in "The L Word" aren't up to the level of emotional and social complexity that the producers are trying to present.

The language often feels pretentious and labored, and there's nary a development that will surprise viewers over the first several episodes. Nowhere are these deficits more apparent than in the clunky coffee-klatch scenes that try to emulate Sarah Jessica Parker and friends.

And while we're perilously close to cliché in making this observation, "The L Word" needs to develop a sense of humor. Secondary stories involving a closeted pro tennis player (Erin Daniels) and Bette's half-sister (Pam Grier) create a wobbly tower of angst.

By next Sunday's installment, the show does achieve a clubby feel designed to ensure a core following — the most obvious one for which the series was intended.

Yet the fair question to ask of any program concentrated on a particular slice of the population is whether those of us outside that demographic would tune in week after week.

With "The L Word," the regrettable answer is no.

The WB's updated "Astro Boy" cartoon probably won't please viewers old enough to remember the 1960s series' delightful theme song and imaginative artwork that drew on a world of surreal and abstract imagery.

Still, the new version has good intentions. "Astro Boy" bestows on its target audience the sense of empowerment now deemed necessary to win 3- to- 5-year-olds. He is, after all, a robot boy, looking remarkably the same after four decades.

But the drawing isn't up to snuff. The landscape's too cluttered — what toddler can bear this visual bombardment? — and other characters appear derived from the "Lilo & Stitch" school of flat moon faces and undistinguished features.

On the other hand, Astro Boy remains a positive role model. After discovering his powers, Astro uses them with demonstrable compassion.

His scary, spiderlike adversary is conquered by defusing rather than bruising.

"You're overloaded," Astro Boy says to the bad bot. "You need to release some of that energy!"

After two weeks in a hotel watching bad mid-season TV shows, I know what he means.

Kay McFadden: 206-382-8888

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